The Falcon 9 SpaceX rocket is seen during a time exsposure as it lifts off from space launch complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla., early Tuesday, May 22, 2012. This launch marks the first time, a private company sends its own rocket to deliver supplies to the International Space Station.(AP Photo/John Raoux)

Private rocket returns to Earth

•June 1, 2012

The SpaceX Dragon supply ship returned to Earth on May 31, ending its revolutionary nine-day voyage to the International Space Station with an old-fashioned splashdown in the Pacific.